Your Initial Sort

So you are all set up and ready to start sorting!  You have your photos all in one place and your table set up with all your supplies.  I recommend that you start sorting when you have some designated time to focus only on the task at hand, but plan on working for no longer than 3 hours at a time.  For most people it's hard to maintain focus for longer than 3 hours.  Depending upon how many pictures you have to go through, this initial sort could take more than one session, but you will be amazed at how much you can get accomplished in 3 short hours!

You are ready to begin!  

Don’t labor over which box of photos to start with...the best way to start is to just dive in!  During this initial sort you want to move quickly through your photos.  Try not to take time lingering over your pictures reminiscing.  If you come across blurry, out of focus, or otherwise really bad photos, toss those out during this sort.  The goal with this initial sort is to place like items together in a pile.  You should already have your index cards labeled by theme or date (see last weeks blog for more information on sorting chronologically vs. by theme).  

Open up your first box and take the first picture out and exam it quickly to determine which pile it should go in.  If you are sorting by theme you will be looking to see what event the photo is of and place it in the appropriate pile.  If you are sorting by date, you will want to pick which year it was taken (or decade for heritage photos).

Your Inner Sherlock Holmes

If you can’t immediately tell, you may have to do a little detective work.  Are people dressed in winter clothing or shorts?  Are there any objects in the background that could help you determine the time of year (an Easter basket or Christmas tree).  If you are trying to determine the date a good magnifying glass can help.  You can look for the actual date on the blackboard in a school photo or count the number of candles on a birthday cake.  I have often used hair styles/length or braces to help determine what age a child might be in a photo with no other clues as to when it was taken.

What to do with duplicates??

If you had duplicate prints made, you will need to determine what you want to do with those duplicates.  During this initial sort you will likely come across some.  If you are not sure if a picture is a duplicate of a picture you've seen earlier, set it aside to check on at the end of the initial sort.  For those you know are duplicates, you can choose to keep them together, separate them out to give away, or throw them out.  I have personally chosen to throw my duplicates away.  Yes, I spent a few dollars more to have duplicates made, but I know that despite my best intentions, I won’t really give them to other family members or friends to enjoy and I'll scan my favorites so I can make reprints later if needed.  There is no right or wrong answer to what to do with duplicates.  Just pick what feels right with you and keep moving forward.

If you get stuck and need help, don't hesitate to call your local APPO member to help you with this process. 

Prep Work for Your Printed Photo Organizing Session

So You are Ready to Organize Your Printed Images!

If you are like most of my clients over the age of 35 (or with children over 10 years old), you have printed photos, as well as digital images.  Maybe you have printed pictures shoved in drawers, rubbermaid containers under the bed, or boxes in the top of your closet.  Maybe you have inherited old pictures from a parent or family member through death or downsizing.  You’re likely overwhelmed by the thought of going through these photos, but you’ve decided that you must do something to get your pictures organized so you can find and enjoy them again.

It’s important to note that to organize your printed photos you will sort through your pictures more than once.  Before you start, you will need to decide if you will organize your photos by theme or chronologically.  

Chronological vs. Themes

While there is no right or wrong way, it is usually quicker and easier to organize your photos by theme instead of by date, particularly if you are only dealing with your immediate family’s photos.  Over the years we forget exactly when Sam lost his front tooth or what Susie looked like at age 6 versus age 7.  We do, however, take photos of similar events throughout our lives.  Most of us take photos of holidays, birthdays, hobbies/activities, and the places we vacation.  We also tend to search for our pictures with a particular event in mind, not a particular date the photo was taken.  When trying to decide how to sort your photos, ask yourself, “How will I search for this picture later?”  That should help you determine the best way for you to organize your photos.  The only time I recommend organizing chronologically is if you already have your photos grouped by date or you are dealing with old heritage photos, in which case I recommend you organize your photos by decades or generations.

Getting Set Up and Ready to Sort

Now that you have decided to organize your pictures and you’ve determined how you will sort them, here are some steps to take to get ready.

1. Gather all photos into one place.  It’s a good idea to set up a table in an area of your home with good lighting where you can leave your table out for awhile without it being in the way.  Bring all the boxes and bags of lose photos, as well as any photo albums that you want to disassemble.
2. Gather supplies.  You will need Post-it notes, index cards, cotton gloves (to keep oil off the photo), photo safe Stabilo-All pencils for marking the back, a magnifying glass, scissors, a trash bag, possibly a label maker, and a few sorting boxes (empty shoe boxes could be used).

   

   Materials needed before sorting

3. Label index cards and set out on your table.  If you are sorting chronologically you will want to have index cards labeled with decades if dealing with heritage photos.  If you are just dealing with your own immediate family’s photos you can label by one-two year intervals.  For theme sorting, think about how you’d search for a photo and make an index card for all those events.

   

   Theme Based Sorting

   

   Chronological Sorting

Now you are ready to begin!  If at anytime you get stuck, feel free to contact you local Personal Photo Organizer for help!  Next week we will discuss what to do during your initial sorting session.

Teresa Cox

www.photoconciergeservices.com

What's the Big Deal?

Welcome to my new blog!  I’ll be blogging about best practices for photo organization and other related topics.

You may be asking yourself, “What’s the big deal about getting my photos organized?”  Sure you’d like to get it done, but you just don’t have time right now and besides, your photos will still be there "one day" when you have the time to get to them, right?  The problem is your printed photos may be deteriorating if they are not stored properly and you could lose your digital photos with a computer crash.  I'd also ask you, after your family and pets, what item(s) would you try to bring with you in the event of a natural disaster or house fire?  Most people answer that their pictures are the #1 possession they'd try to save.  It's hard to save what we can't find.

Heat, humidity, sunlight, water, and dust are some of the enemies your printed photos must be sheltered from.  Your printed photos need to be stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment, not your attic, basement, or garage.  They also need to be stored in an archival and acid free box, like the Legacy Box.  If you have pictures under glass (in a picture frame) or a magnetic style album, they may become stuck where you cannot remove them without damage.  These should be removed as soon as possible and scanned to preserve them.

Legacy Photo Box

Your digital images need to be stored in three locations.  The reality is the hard drive on your computer will crash someday and you rarely get any warning.  Flash drives and memory cards can easily become corrupted and cloud storage services go out of business.  I recommend you have all your digital photos on your computer’s hard drive, backed up on a mobile storage device (like an external hard drive, Gold DVD-R, or flash drive) that is kept in a separate location from your computer (maybe a family member’s home or in a fireproof safe), and on the cloud through a cloud storage provider like Backblaze.  By having triple redundancy, you are less likely to lose your files with a hard drive crash or natural disaster, because one of your backups is likely to remain.

I invite you to follow along the next few weeks as I discuss a simple system for getting your printed photos organized.  You can do this on your own or get the help of a Personal Photo Organizer.  Find one in your area by visiting APPO (the Association of Personal Photo Organizers).

Thanks for reading!

Teresa Cox

Certified Personal Photo Organizer

www.photoconciergeservices.com

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links on this page are "affiliate links."  This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."